Judy Frankel’s interest in antiques began when she was first married and spent time schlepping around Midwestern antique shows and sales with a close friend. It was great fun, but soon there were two children to raise and a full time career as a catering manager, and any free time to go antique hunting quickly vanished. Some years later, Judy resumed antiquing during her search for interesting folk art pieces to accessorize the 19th century farmhouse she and her husband had renovated. This time, the lure of the hunt proved irresistible and Judy got hooked.
Her transition from catering manager to antique dealer started slowly but quickly picked up steam. In 1991, Judy held her first antique and folk art sale - a two-week, invitation-only event held in a former frozen yogurt shop. It was so successful that she held another private sale six months later. The word got out and soon local designers were frequenting Judy’s sales for unique, decorative antiques. In 1992, Judy rented 600 square feet of retail space, staffed her store one day a week and began selling at the local antique shows. She recruited her husband and son to help pack and unpack the Cutlass van, and after reading a book to learn how to buy antiques in Europe, she headed to England to invest her proceeds in new inventory. Before long, Judy was importing containers of antique European furniture and accessories. By 1993, she had tripled her retail space and left her career as a catering manager.
As the business and list of clientele continued to expand, so did the need for retail space. In 1999, Judy acquired the former movie theater that is now home to Antiques Centre of Troy. Originally a multi-dealer gallery, Antiques Centre of Troy is now home to Judy Frankel Antiques, which occupies over 9000 square feet.
Judy attributes her continued success to the genuine pleasure she finds in helping designers and clients find unique antiques to accessorize their homes and places of business.